ALESSANDRO PISTONE described last Saturday's derby victory as the highlight of his time at Everton.

But it represented another significant milestone for the refined but sometimes fragile Italian defender.

It was the 20th consecutive match he had been involved in since the start of the season - comfortably the longest injury-free run of his Everton career.

Ever since he signed from Newcastle in the summer of 2000, Pistone resembled the kind of flashy sports car his country was famous for. Oustanding acceleration, classy and with the ability to turn heads, all too often his body-work needed attention.

Injured 38 minutes into his home debut against Charlton, sizeable chunks were ripped out of each of his first three seasons.

Hernia problems - one on each side - a cruciate knee ligament trauma, hamstring pulls and a back problem all contributed to an intensely frustrating introduction to life at Goodison.

But whenever he did play, the ability the Italian possessed was never in question.

The versatility to play across the back four - effortlessly - was underlined by a natural twofootedness rare in a modern footballer.

His first goal in an Everton jersey was exquisitely volleyed in from 25-yards with his right-foot - from a player most often recognised as a left-back.

At Blackburn on Saturday he is set to make his 21st consecutive appearance this season - coming of age, if you like - but Pistone is more concerned by another statistic.

After that, Charlton Athletic will be the only team Everton have not faced this term - and the defender has seen nothing to suggest Everton's rise to Premiership prominence cannot continue.

"Now is nearly the halfway point of the season," he said. "We have now played virtually everybody and we have done well against them, apart from the first game of the season, so we can be confident against everybody.

" Europe is the minimum requirement, but it would be a great thing to achieve. I think everybody is looking to Europe now and the Champions League is a possibility."

Pistone is as much at a loss to explain the dramatic transformation at the club as anybody, but he ventured: "It's a combination of things - the way we are playing at the moment, the way we are getting results, our great team spirit and the fact that we are now second. It's a great, great season."